1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a molding-condition recovery device for performing a recovery of molding condition in an injection molding machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An operation of making out a molding condition in an injection molding machine normally goes through the process of checking the workmanship of products while carrying out molding after setup of an approximately standard molding condition from experience, and altering set values of components such as injection speed and injection pressure in the molding condition one by one according to circumstances until the stable molding condition supposed to be an optimum condition is attained. Subtle modifications on setup of the components of the molding condition are required until an appropriate molding condition is attained.
However, inappropriate modifications made in the course of making out the molding condition frequently cause failures such as a degradation of molding condition, and there is a need for retry of the operation of making out the molding condition by backtrack to the past molding condition as occasion demands. Further, even when the appropriate molding condition is attained once, external factors such as a change in environmental temperature sometimes cause troubles in a presently-applied molding condition, and there is also a need for reuse of the past molding condition, similarly to the above.
Conventionally, an operator has performed a reset of molding condition with reference to past data at need on condition that a record of an operation or the like relating to alternations on setup of the molding condition is made thoroughly in a daily working report on an injection molding machine basis. However, this operation is complicated and causes such a problem that the operator forgets to fill the necessary items.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 62-197262, there is disclosed xe2x80x9ca method for storage and display of the modification history of set valuexe2x80x9d, as one of means for the settlement of the above problems.
However, this method is merely effective in storing the modification history on a setup item basis in time series every setting modification, and also in displaying intact all the stored histories sequentially in time series, resulting in display of fragmentary contents.
Thus, it is not possible to repeat the past molding condition with accuracy unless the operator resets and puts back set values of components in the molding condition one by one in sequence while referring to the display of the molding condition by backtrack from the present set value to the past for the recovery of the molding condition. Consequently, the recovery of the molding condition requires an extremely troublesome operation. Backtrack of the several times of modification histories is much tolerated, while the recovery operation requiring backtrack to a considerable past molding condition causes skipping or the like of display data in the process of the above backtrack and makes it impossible to normally repeat the molding condition as of the desired past point of time.
It is possible from the technical point of view to store all the set values of the molding condition as of setting modification for writing by batch processing. However, in this case, a large number of set data of practically-unmodified components are also stored redundantly every setting modification, resulting in a waste of a memory storage area.
It is an object of the present invention to provide molding-condition recovery device which may easily recover a molding condition applied in the past, without the need for complicated operation, as the result of dissolving the drawbacks in the above prior art.
According to one aspect of the present invention for attaining the above object, a molding-condition recovery device comprises a modification history creating means for writing a modified component of a molding condition and its set value precedent to the modification in a modification history storage file for storage in association with the sequence of modifications every setup of the molding condition; a set-up means for setting up a point of time of recovery of the molding condition; and a means for recovering the molding condition, upon completion of the setup for the point of time of recovery of the molding condition, by replacing a set value for the component read out from the latest modification history in the modification history file by backtrack to the past in sequence, among the components of the molding condition as of completion of the above setup, with the readout set value precedent to modification.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a molding-condition recovery device comprises a modification history creating means for writing a modified component of a molding condition and its set value subsequent to the modification in a modification history storage file for storage in association with the sequence of modifications every setup of the molding condition; a set-up means for setting up a point of time of recovery of the molding condition, and a means for recovering the molding condition, upon completion of the setup for the point of time of recovery of the molding condition, by replacing a set value for the component read out from the oldest modification history in the modification history storage file in sequence by trace, among the components of the first molding condition, with the readout set value subjected to modification.
The recovered molding condition is displayed on a display screen or is set as an object molding condition in an injection molding machine.
A plurality of injection molding machines may be connected to a host computer to manage the modification history of each injection molding machine by batch processing on the side of the host computer.
The molding-condition recovery device displays a synopsis of the modification history storage file on the display screen to permit the selection of a target molding condition for recovery. In addition, as a means for specifically selecting the target molding condition for recovery, there are provided a means for selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a time of setting modification or a range of the time of setting modification, that for specifically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a shot number or a range of the shot number, that for specifically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a keyword, that having a data base for storing various keywords in association with each other to specifically select the target molding condition for recovery by making a search for a modification history having a designated keyword or a keyword relating to the designated keyword and that for specifically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating the component of the molding condition.
Further, the molding-condition recovery device comprises a plurality of set-up means for selecting the target molding condition for recovery and may select a point of time satisfying the condition redundantly designated by two or more of the above set-up means as a point of repetition of the molding condition.
Instead of the operation of specifying the point of repetition of the molding condition by designating the condition with the setup means, the molding-condition recovery device may execute the so-called undo processing to make backtrack to the past in a search for the point of repetition of the molding condition in units of one modification history at a time every operation of the set-up means.
The molding-condition recovery device according to the present invention permits the reference to the past molding condition after the recovery thereof through automatic processing with ease and also may set the recovered molding condition intact as object set data for the injection molding machine.
Besides, since the molding-condition recovery device performs the recovery of the past molding condition by the steps of causing only the practically-modified component among the plurality of components forming the molding condition to be stored in the modification history storage file, and then replacing data of each item of the molding condition by backtrack to the older molding condition in the search of the modification history storage file from the presently-applied molding condition in sequence or replacing data of each item of the molding condition by trace from the initial value of the firstly-applied molding condition to the latest molding condition in the search of the modification history storage file in sequence, it is possible to substantially reduce a required memory capacity, in comparison with the conventional device which requires storage of all the components of the molding condition every setting modification for storage of the modification history.
Further, since the molding-condition recovery device according to the present invention may make a search for the molding condition by selecting a desired means for specifically selecting the target molding condition for recovery out of a group consisting of a means for automatically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a time of setting modification or a range of the time of setting modification, that for automatically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a production shot number or a range of the production shot number, that for automatically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a keyword, that having a data base for storing various keywords in association with each other to automatically select the target molding condition for recovery by making a search for the modification history having a designated keyword or a keyword relating to the designated keyword, that for automatically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by designating a modified component of the molding condition and that for automatically selecting the target molding condition for recovery by displaying a synopsis of a modification history storage file on a display screen, it is possible to easily make a search for the target past molding condition for recovery.
Particularly, when the molding-condition recovery device needs to select the target molding condition for recovery by making a search for the modification history having the designated keyword or the keyword relating to the designated keyword through the data base, the mere storage of one keyword in the modification history storage file permits the search using various keywords relating to this stored keyword, and besides, only one keyword is sufficient to be stored in a record of the modification history storage file, resulting in saving of the memory capacity.
Further, since the molding-condition recovery device may specify the target molding condition for recovery by a combination of a plurality of designating means, it is possible to easily execute the operation of specifying the molding condition by narrowing down the search for the molding condition as the result of the combination of various designating means.
Furthermore, the molding-condition recovery device may recover the molding condition by backtrack to the past in units of one modification history at a time every operation of the means for setting up the point of repetition of the molding condition and, as a result, is convenient for repetition of the relatively latest molding condition as well.